Daily Clips
May 11, 2018
LOCAL
Kennedy can't slow O's after Royals' fast start
Right-hander allows 9 runs over 4 innings following Salvy's slam
May 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Salvy celebrates with slam on 28th birthday
May 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
In Junis, some see flashes of an all-time great
Right-hander making his mark this season in Royals' rotation
May 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Kyle Lohse announces retirement while drinking a beer at Royals' minor-league game
May 11, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Salvador Perez hits a grand slam on his birthday but the Orioles clobber Ian Kennedy
May 10, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Sal Perez was mocked for turning into 'fun police.' But what he did worked for Royals
May 10, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Lucas Duda's home run was caught by a teammate in Royals bullpen
May 10, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Birthday Blues: Royals collapse against the Orioles after catcher Salvador Perez’s grand slam
May 10, 2018By Rustin Dodd/The Athletic
Seventeen years after his own brain hemorrhage, Royals broadcaster Rex Hudler is rooting for White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar
May 11, 2018By Rustin Dodd/The Athletic
Big-league scorekeeping: Does baseball need team errors?
May 10, 2018By Lee Judge/KC Star
MINORS
With a beer behind home plate, Kyle Lohse announces retirement after release from Storm Chasers
May 10, 2018By Tony Boone/Omaha World-Herald
Five former GMC baseball stars shining in the minor leagues
May 10, 2018By Greg Tufaro/Central Jersey Courier News
Dziedzic Dazzles, Orlando Clubs Cubs 3-2
Omaha starter tosses gem, Orlando smashes 3-run shot
May 10, 2018By Andrew Green/Omaha Storm Chasers
Naturals fall to Drillers in series opener
May 10, 2018By NW Arkansas Naturals
Rocks Slip in Rainy Battle Against Mudcats
Wilmington Drops Third Straight
May 10, 2018By Wilmington Blue Rocks
NATIONAL
5 early unsung heroes in the AL Central
May 10, 2018By Jason Beck/MLB.com
MLB hires former pitcher Chris Young for executive role
May 10, 2018By Associated Press via ESPN.com
A radical (crazy?) proposal, from a retired pitching ace, on how to fix the game
May 11, 2018By Ken Rosenthal/The Athletic
Useless Inf-O Dept, Emphasis on the 0 Edition
May 11, 2018By Jayson Stark/The Athletic
MLB TRANSACTIONS
May11, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Kennedy can't slow O's after Royals' fast start
Right-hander allows 9 runs over 4 innings following Salvy's slam
May 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
On a Thursday night that started so promising for the Royals when catcher Salvador Perez ripped a first-inning grand slam, they simply couldn't contain the Orioles.
The Royals gave up four-run and three-run leads en route to an 11-6 loss in the rubber game at Camden Yards.
Royals starter Ian Kennedy struggled from the onset, giving up nine runs over four innings -- the most runs he has allowed since signing with the club in 2016. Kennedy gave up eight hits, including three home runs. His ERA spiked from 2.92 to 4.61.
"You get the Salvy grand slam and the big first inning, and you think, 'Here we go,'" manager Ned Yost said. "But it was a bit of a wait [for Kennedy] while we were creating some offense. Ian goes out and gives up three, and I had the mindset to just get through that and then he'd settle down.
"Then he goes out and has a really good second inning. But it was just a grind for him. Had trouble executing pitches. Everything they were hitting was up and over the plate. Just a grind for him. He has been throwing the ball so well, and today he was just flat."
Jorge Soler's two-run single in the second inning gave the Royals a 6-3 lead. But the Orioles answered with two in the third and four in the fourth, chasing Kennedy.
"I just watched the video," Kennedy said. "Everything was flat. The slider was flat. The curveball had a hump in it. I pulled my changeup. I wasn't on top of the ball. I tried to make the adjustment.
"The guys scored a bunch of runs for me and I can't hold it. Really disappointed right now."
MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Kennedy couldn't locate his fastball most of his night -- that was obvious in the first inning when the Orioles punished his four-seamer with doubles by Trey Mancini and Adam Jones, and a home run by Manny Machado. Yet, Kennedy still was clinging to a 6-5 lead in the fourth when he walked the leadoff hitter and with one out, gave up a single to Jace Peterson. That's when Kennedy went with a 1-0 changeup to light-hitting catcher Chance Sisco, who smashed it into the right-center-field gap for a two-run double. Mancini then ripped a four-seamer for a two-run jack, and the O's led 9-6.
UP NEXT
Right-hander Jason Hammel (0-4, 4.78 ERA) will get the start at 6:10 p.m. CT on Friday as the Royals open a three-game set against the Indians at Progressive Field. Right-hander Trevor Bauer (2-3, 2.53) will start for the Tribe. Hammel, who will be making his eighth start of the season, gave up three runs and 10 hits over 6 2/3 innings in his last outing on Saturday against the Tigers.
Salvy celebrates with slam on 28th birthday
May 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Orioles starter Chris Tillman couldn't find the plate early in Thursday night's rubber game against the Royals.
And when Tillman did, loud noises followed, such as catcher Salvador Perez's opposite-field grand slam that gave the Royals a quick 4-0 lead. It wasn't enough, though, as the Orioles marched back for an 11-6 win.
It was a birthday slam for Perez, who turned 28. It was his second career grand slam, and he became the second Royal to hit a grand slam on his birthday -- Mike Sweeney did it in 2002.
"It doesn't matter," Perez said. "We still lost. It'd be way better [in a win]. A grand slam and win? Woof."
Jon Jay led off the game with a single to center. Tillman promptly walked Jorge Soler and Mike Moustakas, the latter on four pitches, before Perez jumped on an 0-2 four-seam fastball and drove it out to right, just barely.
"As soon as I hit it, at best I thought it was a sacrifice fly," Perez said. "But in Baltimore the balls carry a lot. I was confused a little bit at first [whether it was a home run]. But as soon as I saw the umpire signal, I was happy about that."
In Junis, some see flashes of an all-time great
Right-hander making his mark this season in Royals' rotation
May 10, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
As right-hander Jakob Junis was progressing through the Royals' farm system, legendary scout Art Stewart was asked if Junis reminded him of any other pitcher.
Stewart didn't hesitate.
"When he's on," Stewart said, "Jake can look like Greg Maddux."
As Junis now has become one of the better success stories in the American League -- 4-2 with a 3.18 ERA -- Stewart doubled down on the Maddux comparison.
"But I'll add one thing," Stewart said by phone. "Jakob's fastball is a little better, has more late life than Maddux's did."
Of course, such comparisons are mostly just conversation right now. Junis hasn't even pitched a full season in the big leagues.
"Yes, I'm careful about comparing anyone to someone like Maddux, who had that kind of command and movement," Royals pitching coach Cal Eldred said. "Certainly there are some similarities, like the pace they keep. And they're strike throwers.
"Like Maddux, Jakob is not really trying to go for strikeouts. But when he needs to, he has the weapons to do so."
Maddux's quick tempo certainly has become a trait of Junis. The Royals' two quickest games this season -- one at 2 hours, 16 minutes and another at 2 hours, 17 minutes, were both Junis starts in which he pitched deep.
That pace has endeared Junis to his teammates.
"Any time you have someone work that quickly," third baseman Mike Moustakas said, "it's fun to play behind. You stay ready. We love it."
Junis also has become known as a strike thrower. His walk rate this season of 1.8 is exactly the same as Maddux's career walk rate.
And while Junis said he prefers pitching to contact, he can get strikeouts with his wipeout slider.
"His stuff is not eye popping," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "But it is really good. He's got a swing-and-miss slider. Good hitters swing and miss at it.
"He hasn't been here that long, but now when you put his name in the lineup, you feel pretty good about your chances. It happened pretty quickly."
Like Stewart, Yost isn't shy about making the Maddux comparisons. Yost knew Maddux well from his days on the Braves' coaching staff in the 1990s.
While Maddux relied on his two-seam fastball and circle change with an occasional cutter or curveball, Junis uses four pitches regularly -- his two-seam and four-seam fastball, a changeup, and the slider.
When Junis has command of all four pitches, he can be dominant.
"It's all about command," Yost said. "Maddux wouldn't knock your eyes out with his stuff, either. But he would just tie you up. And Maddux had that same stoic confidence that Jake does."
Junis seemed almost embarrassed to hear of any comparisons to a Hall of Famer like Maddux.
"I don't know about all that," Junis said. "I'm just trying to pitch."
Kyle Lohse announces retirement while drinking a beer at Royals' minor-league game
May 11, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
As far as retirement announcements go, Kyle Lohse's was one of the best.
The Royals signed Lohse to a minor-league deal last month, and he had decided to give baseball one last chance after throwing just 9 1/3 innings in the majors the previous two seasons combined.
But after pitching in two games for Class AAA Omaha and allowing 12 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings, Lohse was released by the Storm Chasers on Wednesday. His final game was Tuesday, so Lohse decided to take in Thursday's game against Iowa at Werner Park.
While there, Lohse posted a photo from behind home plate and he had a beer in his hand. The message he wrote: "It’s been a hell of a ride! Baseball, you’ve taken me a lot of places I’ve never thought or even dreamed of. The highs. The lows. The people I’ve met. The teammates I’ve had the pleasure of battling alongside. The guys on the other teams I’ve had the pleasure of battling against. Time to take it to the house knowing I gave it all I had each and every time."
Lohse, who pitched for six teams in his 16-year major-league career and won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, told Tony Boone of the Omaha World-Herald that he felt good in his second outing with Omaha.
“The linescore didn’t show it, but I felt like I threw the ball a lot better than it showed," said Lohse, who will turn 40 in October. "But that’s the way this game is. It’s about the results. It’s not about the way you feel or anything like that.
“I’ve always said that, at some point, the hitters will let you know when enough is enough. I put up a good fight, but they got some hits off pitches the other day that I felt like were pretty good.”
Salvador Perez hits a grand slam on his birthday but the Orioles clobber Ian Kennedy
May 10, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
For a short-lived moment Thursday night, it seemed Salvador Perez would be the Royals' hero on his 28th birthday.
With no outs and the bases loaded in the first inning, he extended his bat to Orioles starter Chris Tillman's 89 mph offering. He connected. The pitch traveled 363 feet, banged into the right-field wall and bounced back into the field at Camden Yards. As Mike Moustakas dived into third base, Perez stopped his trot just beyond first.
He didn't know what the umpire would call. From the press box, it seemed like a home run.
"As soon as I hit it, at best I thought it was a sacrifice fly," Perez said.
Seconds later, the umpire signaled a trip around the bases. Perez resumed course and was greeted at home plate with a Moustakas embrace.
The grand slam was Perez's second of his career. It gave the Royals an early lead.
Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy couldn’t hold onto it as the Royals lost 11-6. He blew leads of 4-0 and 6-3, giving up three home runs as he went.
"It’d be a way better (gift)," Perez said. "A grand slam and a win? Woof. But it’s part of the game. Things like that are going to happen."
The first three Orioles batters Kennedy faced recorded extra-base hits and scored. Among them was Manny Machado, who the Royals limited to only a pair of singles and a walk in the first two games of the series. He drilled a two-run homer in the first, shrinking the Royals' lead to 4-3.
Jorge Soler tried to give the Royals a cushion, dribbling a two-run single up the middle in the second inning. It wasn't enough.
Tillman departed after Soler’s one-out hit, marking the second time this series a Baltimore starter did not last two innings.
Yet Baltimore’s bullpen righted the course: Right-hander Miguel Castro scattered four hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings in relief of Tillman. In all, the Orioles' bullpen surrendered six hits.
The Orioles rewarded Castro’s efforts, erasing the Royals’ lead in the fourth inning. Catcher Chance Sisco roped a two-run double into the gap at right-center field to give the Orioles a 7-6 lead. Then Trey Mancini muscled a 370-foot, opposite-field home run.
Kennedy left the mound after the fourth and was never handed back the ball. In a span of 78 pitches, the Orioles battered him for eight hits and nine earned runs. He’d only ever allowed a maximum of seven earned runs since signing with the Royals in 2016.
In the moments after his exit, he retreated to the visiting clubhouse. He slogged through video and noticed something foul on every pitch.
"Everything was flat," said Kennedy, who hasn't won a decision since he pitched six scoreless innings against the Indians on April 7. "The slider was flat. The curveball had a hump in it. I pulled my changeup. I wasn’t on top of the ball."
The Royals, who started the three-game set by blasting the Orioles for 10 runs in the first inning of a 15-7 win on Tuesday, couldn’t get any momentum going in Baltimore. They dropped to 12-25 the night before traveling to Cleveland to face the American League Central-leading Indians in a three-game series that starts Friday night.
They're 6 1/2 games outside of first place in the division. Hours before the Royals took the field Thursday, manager Ned Yost found comfort in that.
"I'm not really looking. But I'm glad we're not totally buried," Yost said. "Our guys have done a good job. Even through the roughest times, I've kept my eye on them and I've never had to (say something). ... They're not hanging their heads. They're not feeling sorry for themselves. They're just working hard and getting after it."
Sal Perez was mocked for turning into 'fun police.' But what he did worked for Royals
May 10, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
When a burly baseball player, often clad in his catcher’s gear, shoots out of the Royals dugout with a Gatorade cooler gripped tightly in his hands, no one blinks.
It’s just Salvador Perez, the Royals’ 28-year-old catcher, being himself and celebrating victories with ice baths the way he has for years.
There’s nothing earth-shattering about it. He's just having fun.
But when Perez called out White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson nearly two weeks ago for enjoying himself too much after homering off Eric Skoglund, Perez was thrust under a microscope.
He was a hypocrite, some contended. The man behind the Salvy Splash shouldn’t take exception to a 24-year-old’s celebration — much less when his argument was based on Anderson not having earned the right to be excited by a home run.
“He didn’t even play a (freaking) playoff game,” Perez said after that game on April 28. “He doesn’t know about getting excited or not. He’s gotta be in the playoffs to be excited, like us.”
But as Perez drew scrutiny for becoming the latest arbiter of baseball’s unwritten rules, his teammates rallied. The Royals went 7-4 after the benches cleared on that late April night in Kauffman Stadium. They went from losing 10 of 12 to winning their first series of the season and climbing out of the American League Central Division cellar.